The present invention relates to a cell boiler suitable for converting thermal energy contained in garbage or other combustible materials into steam which can be utilized for generating electricity.
An object of the invention is to provide a cell boiler of comparatively low cost construction which may include a practical number of boiler units located between a furnace at one end of the boiler and a combustion products exhaust stack at the other end of the boiler.
A further object of the invention is to provide a cell boiler of the above character in which preheated water is circulated on a circuitous path through the several boiler units toward the furnace end of the boiler in heat transfer relationship with hot combustion gases flowing from the fire box of the furnace through a multitude of narrow passages between the multiple cells of the several boiler units, the hot gases flowing toward the exhaust stack at the far end of the boiler and, in so doing, giving up most of the contained heat energy to the water flowing in the cells of the boiler.
Another object of the invention is to provide a boiler which contains an extremely large total heat transfer surface area defined by the walls of the many narrow water cells of the several boiler units, which walls are washed by the hot combustion gases flowing from the furnace fire box to the exhaust stack at the far end of the boiler.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a boiler of the character described in which preheating water is caused to flow on a circuitous path through the base of the boiler from its end adjacent to the exhaust stack toward the furnace and through hollow cooling walls of the furnace and then through a holding tank to a pump which delivers the preheating water to a header of the boiler unit most distant from the furnace in which the preheated water begins its passage on the circuitous path through the multitude of cells in the several boiler units while flowing toward the furnace.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art during the course of the following detailed description .